My first post, so be gentle. I purchased a 63 nova ss convertible and know it's pretty rare. I can find how many ss' were made and how many convertibles were made, but I can't find how many ss convertibles were made, does anyone know?

jaynova

30th-March-2007, 12:47 PM

I could be wrong, but I think that all 63 verts had the ss trim, so I would think that all verts are ss's. I have seen them with the trunk cove painted silver also. You do indeed own a nice car. Hello summer !!!!!!!!!!

64PRONOVA

30th-March-2007, 01:07 PM

According to this site http://novaresource.org/ they made 24,823 convertibles in 1963. I think jaynova is correct that they were all SS models in 1963 (at least I can't remember ever seeing a non-SS '63 drop-top). The '63 convertibles are not super-rare but they are very desireable being the last year Chevrolet ever produced a convertible Nova.

skrymir

30th-March-2007, 01:37 PM

Nope, not all 63 convertibles were SS, but most were. There is a non SS convertible right down the street from me. It has a power top, which is really rare.

CdnL79 Registry

30th-March-2007, 02:16 PM

Not all converts in 1963 were Super Sports. The SS package was an option (RPO Z03) for Nova 400 hardtops and converts. If you didn't order the SS option, you got the regular Nova 400 configuration (benchseats, etc.). There were a total of 42,432 Super Sport options installed in 1963. There is no breakdown of how many went into hardtops or converts.
The SS option was only $161, but many people didn't order it because it was basically an appearance package.....no drivetrain upgrades. From the number around, it appears more SS packages went into converts than hardtops. Maybe 2/3 of the 24,823 verts had the SS option? That would be my guess.
Bob

fore-speed

30th-March-2007, 03:28 PM

Just in case you haven't already noticed, Z03, the SS option, is not that rare in 1963 with 42,432 sold and the convertible body style isn't that rare in 1963 with 24,823 sold. The thing that distinguishes the 1963 Chevy II Nova SS convertible is that it was the only year an SS optioned convertible was built in the X car line 1962-1979.
We do see a lot of them at car shows and online because people choose to build or restore an SS rather than a basic 400 convertible to capitalize on the added value and sporty appearance. The fact that they are easily cloned is also a factor in the number out there today. They are only identifiable through documentation or the option code Z03 (or Z) on the cowl plate . It has been shown that Z03 did not appear on all the cowl plates of the SS optioned cars therefore you cannot disprove one due to the lack of the stamped code.
According to "novaresource" the U.S. production included 6,992 power tops in 1963 and none in 1962. They also state there weren't any padded dashes installed in the U.S. in 1962. All of these options are easily transferable so when we see them today it is very hard to know how many were on the cars originally.
Then there are the Canadian built cars. I think they just liked to be different. My 1962 Canadian convertible, one of 1451 built, has a power top and a padded dash that both appear to be original equipment. My 1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Deluxe 2 door hardtop has an original posi rearend with a 3:55 gear. In the U.S. there were 641 cars originally equipped with a 3:55 gear. It was reserved for station wagons with the 4 cyl engine but could be special ordered on any model.
I hope you found this factual and interesting. Now I'm going to cruise the Acadian for the first time this year. I hope you all are also enjoying your cars (and then we drink beer), (Canadian of course). ;) :beer:

LeftCoast Carl

31st-March-2007, 12:22 AM

my 63 ragtop (purchased from the original owner 21 years ago) is a non-ss car.it has a factory power top,had a bench seat and a 3:08 posi that i've saved.

gm of canada says it's one of 1579 cars produced in canada(i believe that to be "non-ss canadian converts",not total canuck ragtops inc ss cars.can anyone clarify?).
thanks,
carl.

fore-speed

31st-March-2007, 09:17 AM

Carl, Of course I have not seen your letter from GM of Canada but I can tell you this. They did not count the SS models separately because it was an option not a separate model number as in later years. Therefore the total shown on your letter, 1579 is the total number of 63 Nova 400 convertibles produced by them with or without the SS option.
1962 Acadian Beaumont convertible production was: 1250
1962 Canadian Chevrolet Nova 400 convertible production was: 1451
1963 Acadian Beaumont convertible production was: ?
1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Coupe (SD and non-SD) was: 2029
1963 Canadian Chevrolet Nova 400 convertible production was: 1579
These are the only 62/63 Canadian production number I know either from documentation received on one of my cars or others I'm aware of.

LeftCoast Carl

31st-March-2007, 01:39 PM

Carl, Of course I have not seen your letter from GM of Canada but I can tell you this. They did not count the SS models separately because it was an option not a separate model number as in later years. Therefore the total shown on your letter, 1579 is the total number of 63 Nova 400 convertibles produced by them with or without the SS option.
1962 Acadian Beaumont convertible production was: 1250
1962 Canadian Chevrolet Nova 400 convertible production was: 1451
1963 Acadian Beaumont convertible production was: ?
1963 Acadian Beaumont Sport Coupe (SD and non-SD) was: 2029
1963 Canadian Chevrolet Nova 400 convertible production was: 1579
These are the only 62/63 Canadian production number I know either from documentation received on one of my cars or others I'm aware of.
thanks for the clarification!!!
carl

CdnL79 Registry

31st-March-2007, 01:45 PM

Norm, thanks for posting that info on Canadian Nova 400 and Acadian production. I've never seen those stats before. Sure wish I knew what happened to my 62 Beaumont convertible. I don't think very many of the 1250 built still exist.
Bob

Norm, thanks for posting that info on Canadian Nova 400 and Acadian production. I've never seen those stats before. Sure wish I knew what happened to my 62 Beaumont convertible. I don't think very many of the 1250 built still exist.
Bob

Bob, I know of one all original car that is parked in a collection here in the states, not for sale last I checked. There is that one black 4 cyl car, in Canada, that has been mentioned several times on this site. Several years ago several people told me there was an all original, brown I think, car for sale in southern B.C. Also, I believe someone told me of one in Ontario the last time I attended Auto Fest at Oshawa.
That's it for me of course I don't live in Canada but I have spoken to Canadian car guys from Nova Scotia to Vancouver.